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Canada won new Volkswagen battery plant despite ‘way, way more’ money from U.S.: PM

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:51 GMT

NEW YORK — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says a number of U.S. jurisdictions outbid Canada in the recent race to secure Volkswagen’s new battery plant. But Canada prevailed, he says, because of its clean energy supply, educated workforce, critical minerals riches and investments in the middle class.Trudeau made the admission in remarks today at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. The plant, to be built near St. Thomas, Ont., is drawing some criticism because Ottawa offered up to $13 billion worth of production subsidies to make the deal happen. Trudeau says the economic and social benefits of the facility will vastly outweigh the cost because Volkswagen is committed to be a major employer in the hard-hit manufacturing community for decades. It was part of his sales pitch to convince investors, business leaders and venture capitalists in New York and around the world that Canada has a firm grip on the future. “I’ll be honest: there were places in the Unite...

Russian missile and drone attack in Ukraine kills 22 people

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:51 GMT

UMAN, Ukraine (AP) — Russia fired more than 20 cruise missiles and two drones at Ukraine early Friday, killing at least 22 people, almost all of them when two missiles slammed into an apartment building in a terrifying nighttime attack, officials said. Three children were among the dead.The missile attacks included the first one against Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, in nearly two months, although there were no reports of any targets hit. The city government said Ukraine’s air force intercepted 11 cruise missiles and two unmanned aerial vehicles over Kyiv. The strikes on the nine-story residential building in central Ukraine occurred in Uman, a city located around 215 kilometers (134 miles) south of Kyiv. Twenty people died in that attack, according to the Interior Ministry. They included two 10-year-old children and a toddler. Another of the victims was a 75-year-old woman who lived in a neighboring building and suffered internal bleeding from the huge blast’s shock wave, acc...

Recent U.S. military helicopter crashes in training missions

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:51 GMT

The collision of two helicopters in Alaska was the latest in a series of military helicopter crashes this year whose causes are still being investigated.The crashes and a rollover involved Black Hawk and Apache helicopters on training missions. A total of 14 soldiers have died and three have been injured. Black Hawk and Apache helicopters are among the models analyzed in a recent U.S. Government Accountability Office report of Army and Air National Guard accidents from fiscal years 2012 through 2021. Among its eight recommendations to military leaders, GAO advised they ensure that National Guard helicopter units continuously update risk management worksheets and remove barriers to pilot training.___ALASKATwo U.S. Army helicopters collided and crashed Thursday in Alaska while returning from a training flight, killing three soldiers and injuring a fourth.Two of the soldiers died at the scene of the daytime crash near Healy, Alaska, and a third died on the way to a hospital in Fairbank...

Man livestreamed standoff before being fatally shot by FBI

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:51 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — FBI agents fatally shot a man who barricaded himself inside a Minneapolis home for several hours and livestreamed negotiations with officers as they tried to convince him to surrender.A federal affidavit released Thursday night identified the man killed as 33-year-old Chue Feng Yang of St. Paul, who also went by the first name Kevin, the Star Tribune reported. Yang used Facebook to livestream and record several minutes of negotiations until he went outside the house with a woman tied to him.“After barricading himself for several hours, the subject was armed as he emerged from the home,” an FBI statement read. “The subject was fatally wounded, and another individual required medical assistance.”Yang’s criminal history included convictions for terroristic threats, burglary, illegal firearm possession and auto theft. He also had three outstanding felony warrants for his arrest. Court records indicate that in one case, he and another person were accused of shoot...

Scholars defend Polish Holocaust researcher targeted by govt

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:51 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Scholars and historical institutions from around the world are coming to the defense of a Polish researcher who is under fire from her country’s authorities after claiming that Poles could have done more to help Jews during the Holocaust.Barbara Engelking said in a TV interview last week that Polish Jews felt disappointed in Poles during World War II, referring to what she described as “widespread blackmailing” of Jews by Poles during the Nazi German occupation.Since then the historian and the independent TV broadcaster have been threatened with consequences by government institutions — turning the matter into a campaign issue ahead of elections scheduled for this fall.Poland’s conservative government and pro-government media have described the remarks by Engelking, who is Polish, as an attack on the nation. They accuse her of distorting the historical record and not giving due credit to the Poles who risked — and sometimes lost — their lives to help Jews.It is...

India urges Shanghai Cooperation group to fight terrorism

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:51 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh urged the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on Friday to work together to eliminate terrorism and ensure accountability for those who aid or fund such activities, his ministry said.“Any kind of terrorist act or support for it in any form is a major crime against humanity,” the Defense Ministry quoted Singh as saying at a one-day meeting of SCO defense ministers in New Delhi.The SCO was founded in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It was later expanded to include India and Pakistan.India accuses longtime rival Pakistan of arming and training insurgent groups fighting for the independence of Indian-controlled Kashmir or its integration into Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denies. In Afghanistan, the Taliban’s imposition of new measures such as restrictions on women is a concern for SCO member states.The grouping identifies security, trade, investment, environmental pr...

Henry Farm community steeped in history, referred to as Toronto’s ‘best kept secret’ by residents

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:51 GMT

Henry Farm is something the president of its Community Interest Association calls Toronto’s “best kept secret.”The small community in the northeastern part of Toronto was first established in 1809 by Henry Mulholland and his wife Jane, when it was granted to them. They worked on the land and established the first homes.“We’re finding that a lot of young family were moving in, that’s good because it kept the community going,” shared president Wendy Petcoff.The original farm changed hands a few times, eventually ending back within the Henry family.In the 1920s, it was George Stewart Henry, a direct descendant of Henry Mulholland and would bring the family farm into the modern age.Then in 1930, Henry became the premier of Ontario. He is remembered for his work during the Great Depression, of building roads across the province including the expansion of the Don Valley Parkway, and Highway 401.But just one day before his death in 1958, Henry sold...

Palestinians: Israeli forces shoot, kill teen in West Bank

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:51 GMT

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Israeli forces shot and killed a teenager in the occupied West Bank on Friday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The shooting came during confrontations between Israeli forces and stone-throwing Palestinians in a village near the town of Bethlehem, according to Palestinian media reports. The ministry identified the teenager as Mustafa Sabah, 16, adding he was shot in the chest.There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.Footage posted on social media shows people carrying the teen’s body after the shooting and shouting “Allahu akbar,” or “God is great” in Arabic.The Israeli-Palestinian fighting has surged to heights unseen in years.Earlier Friday, the army raided the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank and arrested several Palestinians suspected of involvement in attacks against Israelis, the military said. Palestinian media reported that two youths were wounded in ensuing clashes with the military there. So far in 2023, more than 97...

Where is Toronto in the renaming process of Dundas across the city?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:51 GMT

An upcoming documentary will examine the different ways communities have addressed the changing of names based on their history.In Toronto, the primary debate has been over using the name Dundas across streets and subway stations. But where is the city now after over two years of discussion?A petition was first launched by a Toronto man in June of 2020, following global discussions of anti-Black racism in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.The name Dundas comes from influential Scottish minister Henry Dundas. He never stepped foot in Toronto and is infamous for playing a pivotal role in delaying the abolition of the British Empire’s transatlantic slave trade.The petition gathered over 14,000 signatures in its first 24 hours. Former Toronto Mayor John Tory immediately ordered the City Manager to begin a review.RELATED: Dundas name to be removed from Toronto streets, other public amenitiesA year later, city council approved the process to be led by a Community ...

Child, 2 others injured after car crashes into daycare on South Side

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:57:51 GMT

CHICAGO — Two adults and a four-year-old child were transported to a hospital after a minivan crashed into a daycare on the city's South side Friday morning. The Chicago Fire Department reported that a 34-year-old man was driving a Honda mini-van when he lost control and struck the daycare at the 200 block of West 79th Street Friday morning. Police said the driver was transported to the hospital with minor injuries and a four-year-old boy who was also in the van was transported to Comer Children's Hospital for evaluation. 18-year-old fatally shot in Near South Side drive-by, ID’d A 39-year-old woman who was inside the daycare was transported to the hospital for an evaluation.There is no additional information at this time and WGN is actively following the incident. Citations are pending.